


Stand By Me

by PrincessClemi



Category: About Time (멈추고 싶은 순간 : 어바웃 타임)
Genre: About Time, F/M, Fluff, I had to write this, Kdrama, Lee Sang Yoon, Stand by me, give them a happy ending, this drama is so frustrating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 09:12:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15021395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessClemi/pseuds/PrincessClemi
Summary: Set around episode 10 of About Time, what if Do Ha had told Joo Na that Mi Ka had left him, and what if he had found the note she left him in the secret stuffed animal? What if, basically, they had gotten back together at this point, instead of Mi Ka telling him in the most heartbreaking manner that he was stealing her time because she wants to protect him. AND WHAT IF THEIR TIMES ARE SIMPLY MEANT TO MATCH!





	Stand By Me

“You need to stand by Mi Ka, okay? You couldn’t in the past, but this version of you can.” said Joo Na.

Lee Do Ha took a deep breath to repress the wage of anxiety that he felt was about to crush him. How much he wished he could actually stand by Choi Mikaela. But the truth was, she had left his place the day before, and he had no idea why. He had tried to call her countless times, but she was not picking up her phone, and he felt quite powerless.

“Promise me you will stand by her?” Joo Na insisted.

Do Ha’s first love was standing right in front of him, her beautiful eyes full of confidence in him that he would do the right thing. He had been afraid her being back in Korea after all these years would shake him, but Mi Ka had been by his side supporting him even when he hadn’t told her the whole truth. And now, he realised how much of a blessing this unexpected coming back was: finally, he had gotten closure from his first love. He was totally ready to move on with Mi Ka, ready like he never though he would be. Except for the fact that the girl he loved had left him for no apparent reason. Memories from the time Joo Na had left him years ago were threatening to drown him, but he wouldn’t let that happen, not again. This time, he would go after the girl he loved. Finally, he managed to say something.

“I wish I could. But what if she doesn’t want me anymore?”

“What happened? Did she say anything?”

Joo No immediately turned into mother mode, realising with relief that she too, had moved on with her life. She had come back to Korea expecting to patch things up with her ex lover, only to realise that they both had moved on: and it was for the best. But Mi Ka not wanting to be with Lee Do Ha? That was impossible. Not after the tearful speech she had given Bae Su Bong the other day. Not with that look on her face every time someone even mentioned him. Choi Mikaela was meant to be with Do Ha, even Joo Na could see it, though she couldn’t understand how much they needed each other.

“She won’t pick up the phone. All of her stuff is gone. She resigned. I should have told her about our history, I should have known my family would go after her…”

“There has to be another reason. You two are meant to be together and I can see it. Go after her. You have my blessing.”

Joo Na took him into her arms, hoping to give him as much comfort as she could, before leaving for the hospital where hopefully they would be able to take care of her voice condition. Do Ha had been really affected by his brother’s death, but Mi Ka had been by his side all this time. Her leaving now was unexpected, and once she was in her taxi, she tried to call her. _You have reached Choi Mikaela, I am busy but you can leave me a message and I will call you back._

“Choi Mi Ka… It’s Joo Na. You know I have resigned from the musical. I am sorry to leave you in such a position. But that’s not why I called you. I just talked with Do Ha… What happened between you two? After what you said the other day, I was so sure you would fight to stand by him until the end. You can’t leave him spend the rest of his life with Bae Su Bong, she doesn’t deserve him. Anyway. Call me back if you need to talk…”

* * *

 

After hearing Joo Na’s words of comfort, Do Ha knew he had to do something. First he had waited one more day without hearing from Choi Mi Ka. Then he had decided to jump into action, no matter what would happen. He had talked with Mikaela’s friend Jeon Sung Hee, and asked her when the rehearsal would end, so he could wait for her. The room was now empty, and he knew Mi Ka would leave any time. Just as he was taking a deep breath, the door opened, and she walked out.

“Le Do Ha…” she said while turning pale. His confidence wavered.

“I’m sorry” he said. “I should have told you about Joo Na. I should have protected you from Bae Su Bong. I should have known my family would try anything to scare you away… I should…”

“It’s not about Joo Na” she said. “I don’t care. And it’s over between us.”

Just like that, she started walking away, and although Do Ha couldn’t see it, tears were welling up in her eyes. She was doing this to protect him, but it was so hard, she could barely breathe ever since she had left his house. The rehearsal had been terrible today, especially with Joo No now gone, and no one to replace her. All hell was about to break loose in the musical if somebody didn’t step up. Her life was enough of a mess like this, and she didn’t want to ruin Do Ha’s any further. She walked faster.

“Choi Mi Ka, wait!”

She stopped. She couldn’t help it, it was as if his voice was the only thing that kept her grounded. But she could see her clock increasing, and she knew she had to run away. To protect him.

* * *

Do Ha called Jeon Sung Hee again, for what he swore himself would be the last time. She picked up immediately.

“Anyeonhaseyo?”

“It’s me. Lee Do Ha. I did everything you said, but she still ran away. You said she still loved me, but she won’t even listen to me.”

“I’m sorry, I swear I thought it would work” Sung Hee said. “I’ll talk to her.”

“Thanks…” Do Ha answered weakly. He hung up the phone and threw it on the bed. The bed that was Mikaela’s only a few days. Now that his brother and Mi Ka were both gone, the house was so empty. The only personal thing that was left behind was the stuffed animal he had bought for her when they barely knew each other. What a silly gift, he thought. And she hadn’t even bothered to keep it. He picked it up angrily, only to realise that something was stuffed inside of it. It was a letter.

_Lee Do Ha-shi, I’m sorry. I can’t bear to hurt you anymore. Trust me it’s for the best._

_– Choi Mikaela_

All he could see now was her tearful face when they were at the hospital weeks ago, after he had been stabbed trying to protect her. Then again, she had said something about her being a danger to him. But he still didn't fully understand why she had to leave. He was so intensely in love with her, he would do anything for her, and they both knew it. He had thought they were on the same page, but now he just didn’t know what to think anymore.

His phone rang. It was Park Woo Jin.

“Hyung, can I do anything for you?”

“Thanks Woo Jin. Just leave me alone for now. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?”

Do Ha hung up before he could change his mind. He grabbed his car keys, and ran for the door, hoping just this time he would be able to drive without yet another anxiety attack. Things had been better lately, but who knew when the crushing weight of a panic attack would try to get him again.

He drove carefully through the night, until he reached the address that had been written on Mi Ka’s employee form before she left. Of course he knew it by heart. Only now did he realise that he did not have a plan. The letter she had left him was still in his pocket. He got out of the car, and before he could make up his mind, there she was, walking towards him. She hadn’t seen him yet, but just seeing her gave him courage. He walked towards her.

“Choi Mi Ka… You forgot something” he said, giving her the letter.

She looked up, and he could see clearly that she had been crying. She looked tired, and he wanted to wrap his arms around her so bad, to comfort her and make her feel safe. He took one more step towards her, and she didn’t move.

“Please, talk to me” he said. “I’ll do better.”

“How can I stand here by you” she said finally “when your clock is decreasing faster than ever every time I get closer? You need to stay away from me, Lee Do Ha. It’s for the best.”

He looked at her stunned.

“What do you mean?”

“Lee Do Ha…” her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want to steal your time from you. Please get away from me, I just can’t bear to watch it.”

He took one more step towards her, and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. Just how things should be.

“If I had ten thousand years to offer you, I would give it all to you. My life is your life. Take it all, I don’t care. All I need is your wellbeing. My mere existence has no meaning without you in it, Mikaela.”

She sobbed quietly, noticing how fast his time was flowing into her clock. She closed her eyes.

“I’m sorry…”

When she opened her eyes again, Lee Do Ha was looking at her expectantly. His clock read 31 years, 0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds. It had stopped moving. She hiccupped, before looking at her wrist, only to see the exact same number written there.

“Please, stand by me, Choi Mi Ka.”

The tears flew out of her eyes like a river.

“As long as you stand by me, I will” she answered. Maybe tomorrow would serve her with more explanations. In the meantime, she knew that her fate was forever linked with Do Ha’s, and for the first time, she accepted it fully.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! I haven't written any kind of fanfiction in ages, but I felt quite inspired while watching episode 10 of About Time (which is currently airing) so I thought I'd give it a try!
> 
> If you liked this, feel free to share it or buy me a coffee!  
> http://ko-fi.com/clemireads


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